Vol. xiii.] 74 



a 2 . Rarely any trace of red on the 

 upper tail-coverts. 

 a 3 . Upper parts more dusky brown . eavendishi, Sharpe, 1900. 

 b 3 . Upper parts more earthy brown . astrild, Linn., 1766. 

 b 2 . Upper tail-coverts and basal portion 

 of some of the tail-feathers tinted 

 with crimson. 

 c 3 . Upper parts paler and more 



ashy dama?-e?isis,¥\.eichen.,1902. 



d 3 . Upper parts darker sanctce-kelence, n. sp. 



b'. Sides of head and upper throat purer 

 white. 

 c 2 . Less rosy shade on the neck and [1851. 



front of chest occidentalis, Jard. & Fras., 



d 2 . More rosy shade on the neck and 



front of chest peasei, n. sp. 



b. More red on the plumage ; mantle 



washed with crimson rubriventris (Vieill.),1823. 



" It appears to me to be unnecessary to recognize these 

 forms as more than races of E. astrild, Linn. • but as such 

 they are all equally deserving of notice. E. eavendishi, 

 Sharpe (Ibis, 1900, p. 110), known by the type only, 

 may be the race of Eastern S. Africa; like typical 

 E. astrild and E. occidentalis, it shows no trace of red on 

 the upper tail-coverts and basal portion of the tail, this 

 latter character being prevalent only in the more western 

 races, although I have met with it fairly developed in one of 

 Sir John Kirk's specimens from Ugogo. 



" As regards the shade of colouring, the Natal, or typical, 

 race is about intermediate between _EJ. eavendishi a,n&E.damai*- 

 ensis, Reichen. (Orn. Monatsb. 1902, p. 173). In the amount 

 of red on the upper tail-coverts aud basal portion of the tail, 

 E. damarensis is intermediate between the Natal form and 

 the St. Helena bird. 



" EsTRILDA SANCTJE-HELENjE, n. Sp. 



tf Similar to typical E. astrild, from which it differs in 

 having the upper tail-coverts and basal portion of the outer 

 webs of the tail-feathers strongly washed with crimson. 

 Jan. 4, 1874 (G. E. 8.). 



" The Fernando Po specimens recently collected by Lieut. 

 Boyd Alexander are the Estrilda occidentalis, Jard. & Fraser 



